Why We Sleep: The New Science of Sleep and Dreams

by Matthew Walker

The Russian scientist Marie de Manacéïne had in fact reported the same mortal consequences of continuous sleep deprivation in the medical literature a century earlier. She noted that young dogs died within several days if prevented from sleeping (which are difficult studies for me to read, I must confess).

tail snipping of our sleep time and that of our children—five key factors have powerfully changed how much and how well we sleep: (1) constant electric light as well as LED light, (2) regularized temperature, (3) caffeine (discussed in chapter 2), (4) alcohol, and (5) a legacy of punching time cards. It is this set of societally engineered forces that are responsible for many an individual’s mistaken belief that they are suffering from medical insomnia.

One of the earliest studies found that using an iPad—an electronic tablet enriched with blue LED light—for two hours prior to bed blocked the otherwise rising levels of melatonin by a significant 23 percent.

First, alcohol fragments sleep, littering the night with brief awakenings.

Second, alcohol is one of the most powerful suppressors of REM sleep that we know

alcohol consumption will wash away much of that which you learned and can abstract by blocking your REM sleep.

In addition, patients must (1) establish a regular bedtime and wake-up time, even on weekends, (2) go to bed only when sleepy and avoid sleeping on the couch early/mid-evenings, (3) never lie awake in bed for a significant time period; rather, get out of bed and do something quiet and relaxing until the urge to sleep returns, (4) avoid daytime napping if you are having difficulty sleeping at night, (5) reduce anxiety-provoking thoughts and worries by learning to mentally decelerate before bed, and (6) remove visible clockfaces from view in the bedroom, preventing clock-watching anxiety at night.

the scientific evidence suggests that you should avoid going to bed too full or too hungry, and shy away from diets that are excessively biased toward carbohydrates (greater than 70 percent of all energy intake), especially sugar.

However, a key recommendation is to always put your child to bed when they are drowsy, rather than when they are asleep. In doing so, infants and children are significantly more likely to develop an independent ability to self-soothe at night, so that they can put themselves back to sleep without needing a parent present.

Tips for safe sleep in the elderly: (1) have a side lamp within reach that you can switch on easily, (2) use dim or motion-activated night-lights in the bathrooms and hallways to illuminate your path, (3) remove obstacles or rugs en route to the bathroom to prevent stumbles or trips, and (4) keep a telephone by your bed with emergency phone numbers programmed on speed dial.